The Chicago Uniform Company Takes Pride in the Cleanliness & Condition of Your Garments

Jim Buik - Friday, July 11, 2014

Roscoe, Chicago's favorite uniform rental company, has addressed common industry issues over the last couple months to include shortages, repairs, replacements, response, and billing. With cleanliness and condition this series comes to an end.

This means, how do your garments and laundered products look when they arrive to your location? Due to our mission statement and our dedication to customer service, corporate image apparel, work uniforms, butcher coats, anti-fatigue mats, shop towels, machine wipers and more should all be in impeccable condition.

The Chicago Uniform Company Sorts Garments by Type and Soil

There are a couple of ways the uniform rental company ensures the garments you receive are on par with your expectations. First, our team sorts uniforms by garment type and soil condition on three different levels. Roscoe provides soil lockers to customers so garments stay separate at your location. These garments are kept separate when the Route Service Representative loads them on the truck. When the garments arrive at our facility, they are sorted once again. This is important because it reduces the possibility of cross-contamination between products. An executive white shirt will not be in the same load as a blue work shirt that may have all sorts of grease and dirt on it.

Roscoe Creates Custom Wash Formulas and Monitors Load Weight

What also further guarantees cross-contamination will not occur is the specific wash formulas the uniform company uses for different types of garments. Every load might be different based on the wash chemistry used, the time per load, the temperature or the specific garment being washed. We even go as far as creating special wash formulas for specific accounts that might require it. The uniform rental company works with our chemical supplier, Gurtler, to meet the needs of accounts that have a certain type of soil. For example, graphite, chocolate, animal blood, printer’s ink and solvents, and grease and oil. All of these require a different wash formula to provide the utmost cleanliness.

The uniform rental company also makes sure that a machine is properly loaded based on weight. Garment life is drastically reduced if a load is under-loaded. Additionally, it would lead to roping, which cause the garments to wrap around each other very tightly that it sets permanent wrinkles. If it is over-loaded, there is a good chance, the garments will not come out clean. With the size of our mammoth machines, it is vital that every load is properly weighed.

You may be asking about our water. Thankfully, we have the gleaming Lake Michigan at our disposal. Not-so-great is the frigid Chicago winter temperatures that keep the water at 30-40 degrees. Therefore, the uniform company washes garments and products with tempered water that our system heats to about 90 degrees consistently, regardless of season. Not only does warmer water clean better, but it doesn’t shock the tiny fabrics in garments that would set permanent wrinkles.

Finally, our drying and finishing system. The Chicago mat company conditions the mats we service. Few industrial launderers do this because mats are made with perforations by design that during washing and extraction, should be able to remove enough water without drying. “Enough” is not good enough for us, therefore we condition, floor mats, bristle mats, image mats, and logo and message mats in the dryer. This accomplishes three things:

helps remove excess water

removes excess grit or sand that may have been left in the wash wheel

replenishes pile on the mat so it not only looks nicer and more plush, but renders it more effective as the yarn is standing up versus lying flat

Furthermore, the uniform rental company has a state-of-the-art finishing system that is also unique. Most steam tunnels are set to 280 degrees and every garment, regardless of type and moisture content receives that same treatment. Our finishing systems adjusts the temperature within the tunnel according to type and temperature of garment with an infrared beam that determines the best possible finish for our apparel.

Rent Uniforms and Products that are Consistent in Cleanliness and Condition

Every production and delivery Team Member is charged with inspecting garments through our sorting, loading, washing, drying and finishing process to guarantee it meets the requirements for cleanliness and condition. The Route Service Representative is the final inspection point in making sure a garment or mat is perfect when it reaches your location. An important factor to consider is that our products are delivered in tip-top shape because of the consistency in procedures throughout our plant in products, weight, time, temperature and chemistry.